21st Space Assault Battalion: Difference between revisions

By [[2526#March|March 8, 2526]] they were assigned to [[Captain]] [[Halima Ascot]]'s [[Task Force Yama]] for the duration of [[Operation: SILENT STORM]], a mission with the goal of stealthily boarding and destroying as many [[Covenant]] vessels as possible and buy time for [[Human|humanity]]. At this time, the battalion was led by [[Colonel]] [[Marmon Crowther]]. Although Captain Ascot had full authority over the task force, once the ODSTs and the complement of twelve [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartans]] were deployed, command would transfer to Colonel Crowther. During the slipspace journey to [[Biko]], [[Staff Sergeant]] [[Avery Johnson]] began working with the Black Daggers as they trained against the Spartans. At first, the marines proved to be no match for the Spartans, but that all changed when Johnson introduced some new, unorthodox strategies. He began spending the "lives" of his men like coins, buying opportunities to deal hard blows to the Spartans. This was a tactic that no sane UNSC commander would utilize except in the most dire circumstances, but it was one that the Covenant was known to use often. While the Spartans continued to outclass the individual ODSTs, victory was no longer certain when facing large numbers who now knew how to coordinate an effective assault. Four days into the training, Colonel Crowther had the entire battalion of Black Daggers gather to be briefed on his plan to board and destroy Covenant vessels. The Spartans would be split up, with each of the twelve being assigned to a single platoon. They would be the ones carrying the nukes. However, [[John-117]] disagreed with this plan and Johnson backed him up. Ultimately the plan would change to one more suited to the Spartans' skills.{{Ref/Reuse|HSS5}}

The very next day, Crowther's men had repurposed the quarry's [[Assembly Chamber 4L430]] for an informal debriefing led by Captain Ascot. A UNSC flag was hung on the chamber's polycrete-coated walls, with portable standing lights and a folding conference table also set up for the debriefing. Along with Captain Ascot and Colonel Crowther, the meeting also included [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Hector Nyeto]] of Ghost Flight, now-Captain Nelly Hamm, Avery Johnson, John-117, and [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]]. Here, they discussed the difficulties with the previous day's battle, particular those faced by Alpha Company. They had suffered a thirty-two percent casualty rate and lost their captain, while the rest of the battalion only saw a loss of six percent of their men and did not lose a single captain. After John's maverick action aboard the ''Ghost Song'' came up, the discussion turned to the young Spartan's age. Ultimately, the truth was revealed that John and his fellow Spartans were all around the age of fifteen, and Crowther refused to send them into battle again as a result. The conversation then turned to why the insurrectionists had seemingly been ready for their arrival, with John realizing and convincing the others that they had instead been waiting for the Covenant, with the intent to meet them for negotiations and to perhaps form an alliance. While they were planning for the Covenant's inevitable arrival, [[Bloodstar Flotilla|a flotilla]] of the alien ships appeared in-system and set course for Seoba. The other UNSC leaders then rushed out of the chamber to ready their forces for the imminent continuation of the battle, as Crowther remained where he was to talk with John. He assigned the Spartans to guard and load the captured insurrectionists into a transport as the Black Daggers mobilized to ambush the Covenant.{{Ref/Reuse|HSS11}}

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